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Mike Shirley |
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Planned Escape From Fire
Nobody expects a fire.
But it's very important to have a plan just in case there is
one. Fire can happen anywhere: in your home, apartment,
place of business or even the hotel you are staying in for
the night.
In case of a fire, what
you don't know can hurt you. Keep in mind, fires don't
always happen to someone else. So take time to plan an
escape from your home or place of work. Take time to notice
exit routes as you enter different buildings in your day to
day lives.
ESCAPE PLANS WILL
DIFFER
IT'S UP TO YOU TO PLAN THE
PROPER ESCAPE FROM YOUR PARTICULAR BUILDING.
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Plan Your Escape
Draw a floor Plan of your Home, marking two ways out of
every room - especially sleeping areas. Discuss the escape
routes with every
member of your household.
Agree on a Meeting Place,
where every member of the household will gather outside your
home after escaping a fire to wait for the fire department. This
allows you to count heads and inform the fire department if
anyone is missing or trapped inside the burning building.
Exit Drills
Practice your escape plan at least
twice a year. Have a fire drill in your home. Appoint
someone to be the monitor, and have everyone participate. A fire
drill is not a race. Get out quickly, but carefully.
Pretend that some exits are blocked by fire, and practice
alternative escape routes, Pretend that the lights are out and
that some escape routes are filling with smoke.
Stay Low
and crawl under the smoke.
Smoke contains deadly gases and extreme heat. The heat rises
during a fire, cleaner air will be near the floor. If you
encounter smoke when using your primary exit, use an alternative
escape route. If you must exit through smoke, crawl on your
hands and knees, keeping your head 12 to 24 inches (30 - 60
centimeters) above the floor.
Test doors before opening them.
While kneeling or crouching at the door, reach up as high as you
can and with the back of your hand touch the door, the knob, and
the crack between the door and its frame. If you feel any warmth
at all, use another escape route. If the door feels cool, open
it with caution. Put your shoulder against the door and open it
slowly. Be prepared to slam it shut if there is smoke or flames
on the other side.
Close the door behind you to slow the spread of fire.
Do not try to rescue
possessions or pets. Go directly to your meeting place,
and then call the fire department from a neighbors phone, a
portable phone, or cell phone. Every member of your household
should know how to call the fire department. Your life is
your MOST valuable possession.
Once you are out of your home,
don’t go back for any reason. If people are trapped, the
firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them. The heat and
smoke of a fire are overpowering. Firefighters have the
training, experience, and protective equipment needed to enter
burning buildings.
Be Prepared.
Make sure everyone in the household can unlock all doors and
windows quickly, even in the dark. Windows or doors with
security bars need to be equipped with quick-release devices,
and everyone in the household should know how to use them.
If
you live in an apartment building,
use stairways to escape. NEVER use an elevator during a fire. It
may stop between floors or take you to a floor where the fire is
burning. Some high-rise buildings may have evacuation plans that
require you to stay where you are and wait for the fire
department.
If you live in a multi-story house
and you must escape from an upper story window, be sure there is
a safe way to reach the ground, such as a fire-resistant fire
escape ladder. Make special arrangements for children, older
adults and people with disabilities. People who have difficulty
moving should have a phone in their sleeping area and, if
possible, should sleep on the ground floor.
If you are trapped,
close all doors between you and the fire. Stuff the cracks
around the doors to keep out smoke. Wait at a window and signal
for help with a flashlight or by waving a light colored cloth.
If there is a phone in the room, call the fire department and
report exactly where you are.
PLAY IT SAFE
Smoke Detectors.
More than half of all fatal home fires happen at night while
people are asleep. Smoke detectors sound an alarm when a fire
starts, waking people before they are trapped or overcome by
smoke. With smoke detectors, your risk of dying in a home fire
is cut nearly in half. Install smoke detectors outside every
sleeping area and on every level of your home, including the
basement. Follow installation instructions carefully, and test
smoke detectors monthly. Change all smoke detector batteries at
least once a year. If your detector is more than 10 years old,
replace it with a new one.
Automatic fire-sprinkler systems.
These systems attack a fire in its early stages by spraying
water only on the area where the fire has begun. Consider
including sprinkler systems in plans for new construction and
installing them in existing homes.
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